


Happy Birthday

by ArtemisLuna



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-30
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-09-02 13:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16787479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisLuna/pseuds/ArtemisLuna
Summary: It's Lance's birthday, and Keith is working hard on something special for his present.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly fluff and stuff. This is the first part, there is definitely more to come! Please take a read and let me know what you think in the comments! Thanks :)

His body dances from side to side as his arm glides from one corner to the other on the big canvas. It sits up on the easel, its back facing the rest of the room. Determined to cover up the dull white with hues of red, blue, purple and gold, his arm glides back and forth, blending and shaping and switching brushes to add in details. With his wrist, he pushes back some hair straying from its ponytail, accidentally brushing a blue stripe on his flushed cheek. The summer sun streaks through the open windows and warms up the wooden floor under his bare feet. The smell of the flowers planted outside rides in with the wind. He leans back against the wall, giving himself a moment of rest. He surveys what he’s done so far; a sunset on the beach, just like the ones that Lance has described to him many, many times.

He would always say: **_The sunsets here are gorgeous, but they don't compare to the ones back home._ **

_This has to come out perfect, it’s his birthday after all._

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_

Lance spent his day exploring. Pidge dragged him off to the forest for a bit, with all of her gadgets. She was trying to see if she could locate anything mysterious in the forest but alas, they came up empty handed. But, he did get a good view of the beautiful wildlife. Later on, he hung out with Hunk in the kitchen while he made all his favorites for dinner, it was his birthday after all. Hunk had to beat him off with a wooden spoon soon enough; Lance was trying to sneak a bite out of everything. Shiro was off with Allura and Coran, doing some official business but promised to see him later at his birthday dinner. Eventually he couldn't ignore the pull of the ocean, the waves crashing on the sand and the salt in the air. He made his way down from the house on the hill, and spent the rest of his time sitting on the sun warmed sand, with the cool waves coming up to his feet. The mice came around after some time, showing him new tricks that they learned.

“Hey, you guys have any idea where Keith might be? I was hoping to run into him but... so far, nada.”

One held an invisible brush, and “painted” the back of another mouse.

“Painting?” he questioned.

They nodded. “Where?” he looked around the beach, thinking maybe he just missed him.

The mice pointed back to the house.

“I didn’t see him anywhere in the house before...guess it’s time for an adventure, thanks!” Standing, he shook the sand from his shorts and made his way back up to the house.

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_

  



	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to add in a new chapter, I recently got a new kitty and haven't been able to square away some time for the story until recently. Here is part two, with more to come of course! Let me know what you guys think in the comments, and Kudos are appreciated! Thanks :)

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_

While on the way back to his room a couple of days ago, Keith was running his hand along the grooved wooden wall when he felt an indentation between his room and Lance’s. Made out of the same material as the surface surrounding it, to the eye, it was practically invisible. Inspecting the area, he found a hidden string jutting out from the bottom; tugging on it caused the medium sized cupboard to slide open. He tentatively took a step into the darkness, disorientedly feeling on the sides of the hallway for a light. He illuminated black metal stairs swirling upwards, dust covered every part of it. The musty scents hit his nose, alerting him to the disuse of the place. Reaching the top, he turned the knob, but the door wouldn’t budge. He readied himself for a hard push; almost falling over after the door gave on the second try. With the sunlight quickly fading from the room, he searched for a different light source. A chain in the middle of the room tapped him on the cheek; one pull and the dim Edison bulb chased away what shadows it could so he could take a look at what he discovered.

The roof was low, but not enough for him to hit his head. To the right, a big window would let sufficient light in for him to set up a painting area. On the left was a decently sized nook he would fill with books, pillows, and some string lights for when the sun went down. The middle of the room was spacious enough that he could use it to train; later he would bring up a punching bag and set off to the side. After cleaning up the dusty attic, it became a homey, relaxing place he could retreat to when everyone else was off doing their own thing.

Now, taking a break from painting, he stood with his back to the wall, looking it over for the millionth time to make sure that no detail was missed. “Sunset on Cuba” was finally finished; the amber sun fading into the warm, clear blue waters, with waves crashing on the soft, grainy sand. He added in swaying palm trees on the sides, and sea turtles with their babies making their way through the sand towards the ocean. Satisfied with his work, he slid down to the ground, relieved that he had made it on time. Tilting his head back, he sighed while closing his eyes, feeling the tenseness in his muscles fall away from him like a waterfall.

A wide smile came to his face as he thought, _He’s gonna love this._

 _↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I apparently came down with bronchitis so that really hindered me. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, leave some Kudos and Comments! Thanks :)

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_

Lance starts in the living area, going room by room hunting Keith down. Hunk is still in the kitchen, humming to a song on the radio while he finishes up. Pidge is back in her room going through the data they collected in the forest. Shiro, Allura and Coran weren’t back yet. As he made his way through the house, eventually he ends up back by his room. He goes up to Keith’s room and knocks on the door, in case he came back while he was gone. Silence being the only thing responding to his knock, he gives up and go back to his room to wait for dinner. Running his hand along the wall, he thinks of playing Killbot Phantasm again when his fingers find an indentation he didn’t notice before.

“What the…. Was this always here?” he crouches down and feels around the indent, trying to find some way to open it. Finding a small piece of string poking out of the side, he pulls on it.

“Today really wants me to have an adventure.” He chuckles as he pokes his head inside. There's already a light on, illuminating the black winding stairs that lead to a door high above. He shuffles up to it slowly, testing the stairs to make sure they wouldn’t break apart under him.

“That's quite the fall,” nervously, he peers downward over the railing after he reached the landing. A strip of sunlight coming from the slightly open door flashes in his eye. He pushes it open just a bit with the tip of his finger, angling his eye to get a good view inside. Through the opening, he can see Keith sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, with what looks like a canvas on an easel in front of him.

 **_Sigh, how is he so beautiful, it's unfair._ ** Adjusting his position to get a better look, the front of his sneaker thumps the doorframe.

 **** **_S H I T_ **

Panic freezes Lance in place, his breath silenced in his lungs. Listening for any sound behind the door, he is comforted by the silence.

Until he hears footsteps becoming louder by the second.

**_Abort Abort ABORT!_ **

Before he can book it down the stairs, he trips over himself, startled by the woosh and heavy creak of the door. Radiating the heat of all the suns in the galaxy after a hard fall to the ground, he looks up, his silenced breath no longer knowing how to give him air.

Stormy indigo eyes stare questioningly into clear ocean blues with swirls of glacier ice, eyelids blown wide in shock. Keith is enveloped in a halo of light; wisps of black hair fall out of his pony to frame his heart shaped face. Indigo curiously travels down, catching the sun freckles on an elegantly pointed nose, spreading to his sunburned cheeks. Sand is still woven into his light brown hair, parts of his rumpled blue t-shirt and cargo shorts.

Lance’s hand twitches beside him as he spots a blue streak on the others fair cheekbone, but resists the impulse to reach out and swipe the paint off. The smell of paint, flowers and fabric softener crash into Lance’s nose like a wave. Lance flounders for something to say, anything to cover up the growing silence between them but the hard pulsing in his ears paired with Keith’s angel glow and nice smells stops all the traffic in his brain.

Moving his gloved hands to his hips, Keith leans forward, waiting for some kind of explanation. Seeing the glazed look slowly come to Lance’s face caused the heat in his body to rise a couple thousand degrees. Clearing his throat, he asks “What are you doing?” The familiar frown settling back on to his face.

Snapping back to reality, Lance stumbles, “Oh…I was just…uhhh...”

**_Hey brain, you up there? I could really use you. Like RIGHT. NOW._ **

Crossing his arms and leaning on one foot, amusement slides into Keith’s voice. 

“Just…?”

“...Passing... by?” he offers, synapses short circuiting, blocking him from making a single coherent thought.

“Right, because this place is so easy to just pass through.” A smirk comes to Keith’s face, enjoying Lance’s loss for words.

He sighs as he puts his hands up in defeat. “Alright Sherlock, you got me. I was looking for you cause I haven’t seen you like, all day. Then I found this nice little hideout, and you, which is a nice bonus.” He gives that lopsided grin that almost makes Keith’s knees give out under him.

He groans internally at his inability to resist that grin. He extends a gloved hand out to him. Confused, Lance takes it and stands. “Is that an invitation to come watch you work?” he pulls out smoothly, wiggling his eyebrows while blasting his killer smile.

Keith scoffs, cheeks pinking up fast, arrows shooting into his heart.

“Whatever. Just try not to destroy anything.” He turns around and heads back in, but not before catching a glimpse of stars lighting up in the others eyes. Electricity shot through him, raising goosebumps on his arms.

_Fuck, How am I supposed to work like this??_

**__↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_ _ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sweet conclusion to this short story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for taking so long to update. But, here is the ending to this short story. I hope you guys like it! Please let me know what you think through comments and kudos! :)

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_

“Nifty little hideout you’ve got here.” Lance surveys from the middle of the room.

“I found it a bit after we moved here, it's a nice place to hideaway for a while.” Keith leans back against the wall, one foot up, arms crossed.

Lance twirls, spreading his arms wide. “Dude this is amazing! I want to get lost in your reading nook, and your painting corner is perfect by the window; it also helps with the fumes!” Laughing, Lance walks over to the window to take a look outside, leaning on the ledge. “I thought this window led to one of our rooms, guess I was wrong.”

“I thought the same thing too, until I looked out from here.” Keith joins him at the window, back against the ledge.

“The wind feels so nice, and the view is amazing! I bet you get loads of inspiration from here.” Sighing, he closes his eyes.

Keith observes the wind push back the mini mullet Lance has recently grown; the little hairs around his forehead sway back and forth. He tilts his head to look out to the blue waters, now tinged crimson with the sun setting. The pink and purple sky making you forget of the blue it once was earlier today.

“The sunsets here are gorgeous, but I miss the ones back home.” Lance sighs.

Keith glances back to see the spark of homesickness appear in Lance’s eyes.

Turning around, the canvas catches Lance’s eye. “Can I see what you're working on?” Lance throws over his shoulder; already making his way to the easel. 

Keith bolts off the ledge to catch Lances shoulder, spinning him around to face him, holding him to the spot.

“No! Uhhh, you can't! It’s...! ” empty words rattle in his head, nothing really connecting to make a coherent excuse.

Smiling gently, he puts his hands over Keith’s,“I’m sure it looks amazing, even if it's not finished,” assuring he won’t be disappointed in whatever he sees.

Dropping one hand, he shifts the other neck. “Well, I mean, it's pretty much done... it's your...birthday present?” he says sheepishly.

“Dude, no way! Can I please see it?” followed by puppy dog eyes, Keith can’t find it in him to say not yet, later. He had wanted to wrap it up after it dried, make it presentable.

Shoulders sagging, Keith pinches his nose.

“Alright, pull up that chair,” hooking a thumb behind him, gesturing to the only chair sitting by the wall.

Lance bounds over and pulls up a paint splattered wooden chair and settles on it in the middle of the room, facing Keith’s back.

Sweat starts to bead up on his back, his hands getting a tinge of cold. Keith faces the painting one more time, making sure that everything is how he wants it to be.

_Now or never._

With an awkward smile, he turns the easel around.

“Happy birthdaaay!” he adds with a flourish.

Silence follows after Keith presents his Cuban Sunset.

Instant panic worms its way through every nook and cranny of his body.

_Oh my gods, did I fuck this up? That badly??_

“E-earth to Lance?” a shake starts in his hand as he waves it in front of Lance’s face to get his attention.

“I can re-do it if you want it’s no trouble… or get you something else?” he starts to turn the easel back towards the wall.

“No wait!” slowly getting up from his chair, Keith can see the glisten in his eyes as he gets closer to the painting.

“Sorr, but this… this is… exactly like the ones from back home…” A light touch to the painting, a soft smile appears on his face.

A sigh wooshes out from Keith’s lungs, “So, you like it.”

“I absolutely love it. Its... amazing how you got all the colors right, the way the colors touch the water… and I love the little sea turtles in the corner!” a tear runs down his flushed cheek.

“I’m so glad you like it, I thought you hated it for a second there.” he says looking down at his feet.

Glancing up from the painting, “What made you think that?”

“Well you weren’t babbling like usual so…” He shrugs his shoulders.

“I was just… in shock I guess over how wonderful it looked. This must have taken you forever …”

“Forever and a half” Keith smirks.

Pulling Keith close for a hug, he mutters into his shoulder, “Thank you. This is the absolute best present I’ve ever received. Don't tell Hunk or Pidge that, they’ll get jealous.” He grins.

Stiff in Lance’s arms, it takes him a second to finally relax and return the hug.

Then the world tilts, his gravity shifting until he comes face to face with the wonderfully sculpted bottom, belonging to Lance. A slightly bony shoulder digs into his stomach, making breathing harder than it already was. Warm hands come to his lower back to confine him in his new position.

Flushing as red as a cherry, Keith throws his head up.

“What are you doing?! Put me down!”

To make things worse, spinning was next on Lance’s list.

“Make me Mullet!”

Lance’s laughter sparks in every nerve in his body, making everything rosy colored in his eyes. Keith catches on to Lance’s light mood, bubbles of laughter making their way out of his mouth. Seizing a quick opportunity, Keith reaches a hand out towards his oncoming palette on the table next to his canvas, and slaps paint from his hand onto Lance’s face.

Keith squirms while Lance splutters, taken completely by surprise. Losing his balance, Keith falls first, with Lance body slamming him seconds after. Taken from his own face, Lance spreads wet paint from his fingers onto Keith’s face. Uncontrollable laughter bounces off the walls of the room as they take in each others faces, covered in the same colors as the cuban sunset.

From where he was laughing into Keith’s shoulder, Lance raises his head, tensing up after realizing how close in proximity they are. Keith’s hair spreads out like ink, his indigo eyes fluttering wide, underlined by red blotches on his cheeks. Lance feels his own face heat up like a bad sunburn, continuing down his body until he’s lit aflame.

Their hearts are the flutter of a hummingbird’s wings. With a desert in their throats, a winter chill in their spine and fingertips, not one or the other moves. Keith reaches out a finger, softly touching, then cupping Lance’s feverish cheek in his hand. Lowering himself, Lance looks into Keith’s eyes, hesitant. A slight lift of Keith’s head closes the distance, their lips meeting briefly.

Lance gives another peck, testing the waters. More follow before they decide their lips never want to part. Keith angles his head, allowing the kiss to become faster paced and feverish. Wrapping his arms around his neck, Keith pulls Lance as close to him as possible. Lance can’t help but grin into the kiss, his heart soaring into the sky. Running his hands through the silky mullet hair, Lance trails down to his neck. Laughing at the ticklish sensation, Keith brings him back up so he can pepper kisses all over Lance’s face. Anxiety and doubts drift away, as they lose themselves in each other.

Faintly, they hear Hunk bellowing out Lance’s name, and groan in sync when they hear it again.

“But! We just got started!” Lance complains into Keith’s neck.

Gently pushing Lance away,“Hunk’s probably done slaving over your birthday dinner. Come on lover boy, time to go.”

Lance glomps onto Keith, refusing to let go. The call of Hunk, now accompanied by Pidge, looking for Lance comes again, a little closer this time. Keith gives Lance a look, signaling it was definitely time to go.

“They’re going to have the whole planet looking for you if you don't make an appearance soon.”

Releasing Keith, but not completely getting off, Lance asks, “We can continue this later, can’t we?” followed by a waggle of his eyebrows.

Rolling his eyes, he gets out from under Lance.

“You got all your presents from me today..” Walking to the canvas, he drapes a protective cover on it until he can come back later for it.

“Wait, what? That can’t be like… a continuous thing?” Baby blue puppy dog eyes strike at the core of Keith’s heart.

Crossing his arms, a scowl doing a poor job of hiding the smile in the corner of his mouth and the rising temperature in his cheeks, he whispers, “Maybe.”

Running up to Keith, Lance smushes Keith’s cheeks together, creating a fishy look on his face.

“One for the road,” he says, as he steals a kiss before bounding out the door, yelling “Alright, it’s party time!”

Keith chuckles to himself as he follows Lance out the door, every corner of his heart filled with sweetness, warmth and light.

_↢ ☽ ☾ ↣_


End file.
